Upstream Battle^Ⓡ

80% of marine litter comes from land.

Washed into gutters, blown into streams, lost down drains: litter is carelessly discarded.

So to tackle marine litter, we have to stop litter’s journey from source to sea.

Focused on the River Clyde and its tributaries, Upstream Battle raised awareness, gathered evidence and inspired action.

We connected communities, individuals, schools, and the private and public sectors.

We all have a part to play in keeping the Clyde clean and protecting our seas.

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What is Upstream Battle?

It’s estimated that up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic gets into the sea each and every year – that's a truck full of litter a minute. It's killing wildlife, threatening ecosystems and habitats, and is extremely difficult and expensive to clean up.

Many initiatives that tackle marine litter are targeted at cleaning up our beaches or trying to remove litter from the sea once it's there. But, as 80% of all marine litter comes from land, we also need to face this problem upstream, where litter is washed into gutters, blown into streams or carelessly discarded. Worryingly, we are seeing a steady increase in the amount of land-based litter, which means there's a greater chance it'll end up in the sea.

We must stop this cycle of litter and prevent it from entering the sea in the first place.

The first phase of our Upstream Battle campaign focussed on changing littering behaviour to prevent marine litter at source along the River Clyde. Focused on the entire length of the River Clyde and its tributaries, we raised awareness, gathered evidence and inspired action.

From the Clyde's source in the Lowther Hills, along its major tributaries such as the rivers Kelvin and Leven, to the Forth and Clyde canal, and to the Firth of Clyde, we connected thousands of people in a common goal: to stop litter from getting into the Clyde.

12.7m tonnes of plastic enters the marine environment every year.

80% of marine litter comes from land.

88% of people living in Scotland believe the amount of litter in rivers is a problem.

How did we do this?

Citizen Science

Whilst we know that 80% of marine litter is estimated to come from land, we wanted to know in detail how, where or what was getting into the Clyde.

By working with communities along the river and its tributaries, we have created Scotland's first comprehensive river litter data set.
We supported groups, schools and organisations to survey and clean up their local area and contribute to a Clyde-wide litter prevention plan.
Are you a Clean Up group near the Clyde or its tributaries? Or a watersports enthusiast who wants to see a cleaner river? A group of community gardeners who want to make a difference? The Clyde needs you! You can still join our Citizen Science project.

Citizen Science Report

Read about our findings following the first 18 months of surveys.

Raising awareness

We wanted to make sure that everyone who lives or works near the River Clyde or one of its tributaries knew about the extent of our marine litter problem and were motivated to keep the Clyde clean.

So, we put the spotlight onto litter grotspots, making videos of the people who live and work on the Clyde and created high profile and engaging exhibitions. We inspired people to feel empowered to make changes to their own behaviour – from simple actions like always making sure your litter ends up in a bin, to joining in a clean up.

Do you want to be part of the story? Tell us about what you’re already doing to reduce litter, share your images or let us know if you have ideas you’d like to see us try out. Email us upstreambattle@keepscotlandbeautiful.org

Working with children and young people

We motivated young people to connect with the River Clyde and to become more aware of the problems litter causes.

We worked with primary schools, challenging pupils to investigate the pathway of litter from their playground into the River Clyde and asking them to come up with their own answer to halt litter’s journey. We also recruited young people to become ambassadors for the Clyde – they reported on the issues and solutions through videos, photos and blogs.

Do you or your school want to get involved? Sign up here and we will be in touch with opportunities.

Help us clean up our rivers and protect our seas.

Donate to Upstream Battle

Our ambassadors

Doug Allan
Photographer and Wildlife Cameraman

Dunfermline-born Doug is a natural history cameraman and presenter on programmes including Blue Planet. Having seen first-hand the impact that marine litter has had on wildlife, he is passionate about raising awareness of this global problem.

See my video

Elaine Hopley
Ocean Rower

Paisely-born adventurer Elaine held the Guinness World Record for the fastest solo female to cross the Atlantic in an open-class boat in 2017. She is one of only 15 women to successfully row an ocean solo. Elaine plans to row across the Pacific Ocean to highlight the impact of marine litter.

See my video

Martin Compston
Actor

Greenock-born Martin is an actor best known for his lead role in BBC’s drama Line of Duty. Having grown up on the banks of the Clyde, he is keen to protect the river for generations to come and to highlight the role the river plays in taking litter out to sea.

Upstream Battle^Ⓡ